Erin Ryan · April 29, 2015

Budget Update: Chipping Away

Anti-worker provisions still remain in the pending state budget (HB 64) following the release of House revisions.  We explain what those provisions mean for the middle-class. Chipping Away:

• Several provisions still in the budget will likely lead to more privatization and reduced working standards for important services like protecting senior citizens from abuse and neglect.  Additional changes also deny some workers’ rights to employees at community-based correctional facilities.

Race to the Bottom:

• Another provision in the budget would end the long-standing option of Project Labor Agreements (PLAs), which protects taxpayers and strengthens local economies.  

• PLAs ensure that the terms and conditions of public construction projects are not substandard and the wages are fair.  They also help make sure that the work is done efficiently and effectively by doing such things as preventing strikes and requiring a higher degree of quality control.

• Ending of this practice would likely reduce wages for working Ohioans and increase the risk of shoddy work on public construction projects.

Why it Matters for the Middle Class:  

• When workers have fewer opportunities to bargain for the safety and effectiveness of their work, as well as the fairness of their wages, the economy suffers and the middle class shrinks.

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